Robbie Robertson, Lead Guitarist And Songwriter For The Band, Dies At 80
Written by Mac Watson on August 10, 2023
Robbie Robertson, a Canadian musician who led one of the most seminal bands in the 60’s, The Band, has died at the age of 80.
Born in 1943, Robertson was born and raise on the Six National Reservation of an indigenous mother, while his Jewish father was a professional gambler who died in a hit-and-run accident when Robbie was a child.
His earliest musical memories were formed on the reservation at Six Nations. By the time he was 15, Robbie was gigging around Toronto. He was in bands like Levon and the Hawks, The Crackers, and The Canadian Squires before finally settling on The Band, according to Rolling Stone.
Robertson played on Bob Dylan’s 1966 LP, “Blonde On Blonde.”
With their eponymous record, “The Band,” released in 1969, the group quickly were recognized as a distinct rock band. By 1976, burned out on touring, Robertson planned a final concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, filmed by Martin Scorsese. Robertson hand-chose the new director on the basis of his use of music in “Mean Streets.” The resulting film was released in theatres in 1978 as “The Last Waltz.” Robertson and Scorsese would go on to become good friends and collaborators in the ensuing years, even living together during the editing of “The Last Waltz,” an arrangement the rest of THE BAND felt exaggerated Robbie’s role within the group in the movie.
With The Band, Robertson was inducted into the Canadian Juno Hall of Fame in 1989, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters in 1997.
Robertson is survived by his wife Janet, ex-wife Dominique Bourgeois, and their three children.
The Band released their box set, “Live At The Academy of Music 1971″ in 2013.
